In
Switzerland the carnival activities include colorful processionals and
masked balls in several cities. Most carnivals are held after Lent begins,
a historical Protestant reaction to Catholicism. Festivities usually start
a week before Ash Wednesday.

In
Lucerne, on the Rhine, bordering France and Germany, the tradition harks
back to medieval times; costumes, especially masks, tend to be hideous
to frighten away the devil.

photo
by Michel Pichard

Activities
start early on the Monday morning following Ash Wednesday. As the clock
strikes 4 a.m., street lights are switched off and costumed fife-and-drum
bands begin playing, their head-lanterns swinging through the darkened
streets. Next come the "Cliquen", or carnival cliques, wearing costumes
such as pigs' heads, grotesque caps, and giant leering faces that represent
specific themes. Each group is illuminated by transparent, shouldered
lanterns, most of which are over three meters (10 feet) high. The procession
is repeated on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and in the evenings small
groups wander from bar to bar, singing and acting out events of the past
year. Tuesday evening brings the "Guggemuusige", or masked musicians,
who fill the streets with improvised music on brass and percussion instruments.
The bands move haphazardly to stop and mix with the crowds. On Wednesday
night the carnival climaxes with the "Gdssle", a wild romp through the
city center . Masked people wander through the narrow streets, following
the pipers and drummers until 4 a.m. Thursday morning.

Basel's
"Fasnacht" is the country's biggest carnival, involving about 20,000 masked
participants who march through the streets in three huge processions.

Solothurn's
torchlight parade begins at 5 a.m. on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday,
with participants wailing away on brass and percussion instruments while
wearing nightshirts and nightcaps. The following afternoons are marked
by masked balls, street parades of "fools", and the torching of the "Bvvgg",
or straw man.

On
Carnival Monday in Zug, a traditional carnival figure named Greth
Schnell parades through the streets with a basket on her back as the story
goes, to put her drunken husband in and carry him home. She is accompanied
by seven colorful "fools" who hand sweets to the children as they call
out her name.

During
Carnival in the valley of Lvtschental, young people assume the
leathery faces of carved carnival masks and pass from village to village,
frightening and playing pranks on passersby. This custom derives from
an ancient belief in evil, grimacing-faced spirits that lived in soot-covered
chimneys.

The
Roitschdggdtd tradition or wearing of masks, is mainly done in Wiler,
where competitions for the best masks are held on the Saturday afternoon
during Carnival.